National Museum of Natural History Unearthedtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-834477684372006522016-07-13T16:19:57-04:00Since 1910, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has inspired curiosity and learning about the natural world and our place in it.
TypePadBuilding Genomic Plant Collections from the Southeastern United Statestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01bb091e7efa970d2016-07-13T16:19:57-04:002016-07-13T13:51:56-04:00We, Drs. Carol Kelloff and Mark Strong, traveled to southeastern Virginia—resurveying botanical transects conducted over 70 years ago—to collect genomic material of plants for the Global Genome Initiative. The overall goal of our project is to build up the Smithsonian's Biorepository with genomic quality DNA samples and add herbarium vouchers...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryAn Interview with an Orchid Specialist. tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b7c87118be970b2016-06-20T17:43:35-04:002016-06-27T09:30:05-04:00The Global Genome Initiative’s-Gardens team spent the cooler months of January, February, and March within the expansive, climate-controlled confines of the Smithsonian Gardens greenhouses in Suitland, Maryland. We worked primarily with facilities manager, Vickie DiBella; horticulturalist, Matthew Fleming; and orchid collection specialist, Tom Mirenda. Our goal was to collect as...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistorySurveying the Sumacs and Mosses of North Americatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b8d1ee1cd9970c2016-05-27T16:20:16-04:002016-05-27T10:01:11-04:00I am a Museum Specialist in the Department of Botany and the research assistant to curator Jun Wen, whose expertise includes grapes – the plant family Vitaceae, ginseng – the plant family Araliaceae, cherries – the family Rosaceae, and many plant groups found both in eastern Asian and North American...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryExploring the Flora and Fauna in the Horn of Africatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b8d1dc8884970c2016-05-04T14:34:51-04:002016-05-04T14:33:14-04:00A team of researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and USGS recently spent a month conducting biological surveys in Djibouti (pronounced ‘ji-BOO-tee’), a small country in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is surrounded by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia with coastlines that abut both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden....Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryWhat's that Genome in the Sand?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01bb08d0798d970d2016-03-30T17:59:28-04:002016-03-30T11:01:40-04:00Wild animals that are directly visible in their environment are the main attraction for nature lovers. Most people do not know about the existence of a fascinating hidden world of animals that inhabit marine sand. This sand can host an impressive abundance and diversity of microscopic animals known as “meiofauna.”...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryThe resident bird gets the butterfly.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01bb08c973bf970d2016-03-16T15:51:25-04:002016-03-16T10:22:31-04:00When you look around you might notice birds going about their daily business. But what are they up to? American redstarts are migratory birds that travel to Jamaica during the winter and potentially compete with resident birds, like the Yellow Warbler, for food. Photo by Dave Inman. CC By-NC-ND 2.0...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryCryptobiotic Condos—How Genomics Helps Monitor Coral Reefs tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01bb08c1be2f970d2016-03-03T10:55:28-05:002016-03-03T11:20:19-05:00The following is a blogpost about an expedition sponsored by the Smithsonian's Global Genome Initiative. There’s more to reefs than fishes and coral, far more. In fact, it is estimated fishes and coral make up less than 1% of all reef-associated animal species. The other 99% of reef diversity –...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryGetting a Leg Up on Legumestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b8d193e88b970c2016-01-19T16:34:20-05:002016-02-05T15:24:03-05:00Dr. Ashley Egan investigating Colutea arborescens, a newly introduced species to Utah, Ephraim Canyon. I have been exploring the wonders of nature since childhood. The biodiversity in the wilds of Idaho and the intricate webs of life coursing through the eastern deciduous forests got me into science. As early as...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryAdventures with Giant Bloodsucking Fliestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b7c7fdbc3a970b2015-12-22T15:40:52-05:002015-12-29T15:12:08-05:00Horse flies and deer flies are members of the largest family of bloodsucking insects—the Tabanidae, with more than 4,000 species described worldwide. Nearly all females feed on blood, which is needed for the development of eggs. That blood can transmit parasites to humans and livestock. All males and some females...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural HistoryDid you know sponges have larvae?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156e4c2c3d970c01b8d180eb4a970c2015-12-08T17:17:59-05:002015-12-09T09:05:02-05:00Everyone knows that a caterpillar will change into a butterfly and tadpole will become a frog, but did you know that marine sponges undergo metamorphosis too? I am Rachel Collin, the director of the Bocas del Toro Research Station in Bocas del Toro, Panama, which is a part of the...Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History